Swimming glove



Patented Dec. 6, 1938 UNITE D STATES PATENT OFFIE 1 Claim.

This invention relates-to swimming gloves, and its general object is to provide a glove of a web type to facilitate swimming, in that it sets up maximum resistance with the water and consequently enables one wearing-my gloves to swim in a more efficient manner with greater speed and minimum effort.

A furtherobject isto provide gloves of the character set forth, that can be applied and removed in an easy and expeditious manner, yet casual removal or displacement is practically impossible, and the gloves tend to retain the fingers of the hands separated with the webs extended, without eifort on the part of the user, in that the web is reinforced, but will readily give under pressure.

Another object is to provide a swimming glove, in which all the parts thereof are made from rubber or other suitable flexible material and which are integrally connected, cemented or vulcanized together in glove formation, the parts including a wrist encircling band and a hand strap which provides the means for securing the glove to the hand, with the result no buckles, buttons or similar fastening means are used.

A further object is to provide a swimming glove, that is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, and extremely eflicient in use and service.

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawing wherein like characters denote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view illustrating my glove applied to the hand.

Figure 2 is a rear view of the glove per se.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken approximately on line 33 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken approximately on line 4-4 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken approximately on line 55 of Figure 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the reference numeral I indicates the flat body of my glove which as best shown in Figure 2 includes essentially a single sheet of flexible material such as rubber or the like of a shape to cover the palm portion and inner side of the fingers and thumb when spread apart, as shown in Figure 1, consequently the outer edge is shaped substantially in the arc of a circle, but in fact the edge is made up of straight portions and is reinforced from end to end by a bead 2 which is provided by folding and cementing the edge portion inwardly upon itself, about a strip 3 of flexible material, such .as rubber.

Secured to the body in close proximity to each other and in a manner to radiate adjacent the center thereof, are finger-stalls 4, that extend to the outer edge and at the point of juncture of the straight edge portions with respect to each other, as shown in Figure 2, and secured to one side edge of the body is a thumb-stall 5 which of course cooperates with the stalls 4 for receiving the fingers and thumb, as shown in Figure 1.

The stalls 4 and 5 are each formed from a single piece of material rolled in stall formation and are tapered from their open inner ends, to their closed outer ends, the latter being closed by cutting the material and cementing or vulcanizing the cut portions together as at 6, and securing tabs 1 cut from the folded edge to the closed ends, as clearly shown in Figures 4 and 5. The sides of the body l are inclined inwardly in converging relation in order to follow the shape of the hand, and cut from the body at the inner end thereof in a manner to extend from the side edges is a one piece strap 8 having the inner portions thereof disposed in crossed association as at 9, to provide what may be termed an endless wrist encircling band 10. One end of the strap 8 is integral with the body while its opposite end is cemented or otherwise secured thereto.

Cooperating with the wrist encircling band l and the stalls for securing the glove to the hand of the user, is a strap II which has one end portion l2 formed integral with the body adjacent the juncture of the stall for the little finger, and has its opposite end folded inwardly and cemented or vulcanized to the body adjacent to the inner end of the thumb-stall as best shown in Figure 2.

The portion of the body for disposal adjacent to the wrist of the user is of arcuate formation and is reinforced by a strip I3 following the shape thereof and which has its ends fixed to the portions of the strap 8 adjacent their juncture with the body.

Each of the stalls are provided with diametrically opposed openings [4 therein, and it Will be noted that the thumb-stall has an extension l formed thereon from its open inner end and which extends to the adjacent end of the strap 8 and is secured thereto, consequently it will be seen that the strap at its connection with the body is materially reinforced so that tearing thereof from the body is practically impossible.

The end portion of the strap 8, opposed to the end which is integrally formed on the body, may be of a length to be secured to the undersurface of the strap H and that portion of the strap 8 is indicated by the reference numeral I6.

From the above description and disclosure of the drawing, it will be obvious that I have provided a swimming glove, there being one glove for each hand of the user, when in use, that can be firmly secured to the hands, Without the use of buckles, buttons or similar fastening means, and the securing means as well as all of the other parts of the glove are integral, cemented or vulcanized with respect to each other. It Will be further obvious that the portions of the body between the stalls provide webs which for distinction are indicated by the reference numeral H.

It is thought from the foregoing description that the advantages and novel features of the invention will be readily apparent.

It is to be understood that changes may be made in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claim.

What I claim is:

A swimming glove comprising a body including a single sheet of flexible material such as rubber and shaped to conform to the shape of the hand with the fingers and thumb extended, finger and thumb receiving stalls secured to the body and the portions of the latter between the stalls providing webs, a strap for disposal about the back of the hand and having one end formed on the body at the inner end of one side edge thereof, and its opposite end secured to the body intermediate the side edges, a second strap having one end formed on the inner end of the body and its opposite end secured to the body and first strap respectively, said second strap extending from the inner end of the body and being crossed in overlapped association to provide an endless wrist encircling band for cooperation with the stalls and the first strap for securing the glove to the hand, and a reinforcing strip secured to the inner end of the body and the ends of said strip being secured to the second strap.

ALFRED W. PICCARDI. 

